The cause of our joy

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. It should usher in a season of joy and merriment, for after all, the Lord is coming, the Messiah is about to be born. And yet, no one in this country seems to be in a celebratory mood. Not after the tragic floods that visited Luzon last September. And certainly, not after the gruesome massacre in Maguindanao last Monday. What is there to celebrate for? What is there to be happy about? A friend says: I am sorry but with all these negative happenings, I don’t feel like celebrating the coming of the Lord!

Althought this sentiment is understandable, it is certainly not justified. Indeed, the season of Advent asks us to call to mind the two times that the Lord comes to us. The first time was the occasion of what we call the mystery of the incarnation, the coming to flesh of God two thousand years ago. The second coming is at the end times, what the Jews call the Parousia, when Jesus Christ would come again as King and Judge of all creation. The first reading today from the prophet Jeremiah points to that first coming as it describes a shoot coming forth from the descendants of King David. On the other hand, the Second reading and the Gospel seem to point to the second coming which is to be marked by tribulations, destructions and wars or in St. Paul’s mind, a time for purification for Christians.

These are the two “comings” of the Lord that we celebrate on this season of Advent. (Others would add another one – the everyday coming of the Lord in our lives.) We ask – are any of these explicitly and outwardly very happy occasions? Surprisingly not!

We are of course already convinced that the second coming of Christ, the Parousia will be a time of destruction as the Gospel today describes it. We call it the end of the world, the Armageddon, the Last Judgment. There is no need to convince us that Christ’s second coming will not be a joyous one. Or so we think! But outwardly, explicitly, it will not be pleasant time.

It is much harder however to disabuse our minds of our romantic picture of the first Christmas, the first coming of the Lord. It is difficult because we have held this ideal and image of the birth of our Lord since our childhood. And yet biblical scholars tell us that the first Christmas was not as rosy as our Christmas carols would paint it. Economically, for instance, Israel might have been worse off then that we are now. Poverty was widespread; the so-called amharetz or people of the land composed the majority of the population. Politically, the Jews were not free, being under the oppressive regime of the Roman Empire. Violence would errupt every now and then as Jewish groups would try to revolt against their conquerors. Socially, the Jews would be divided among themselves as some would choose to side with their foreign oppressors while others would stand by their Jewish faith. It was indeed against this backdrop that Jesus was born, that the first Christmas occurred. Not entirely the ideal, joyful image that we have cherished in our minds since our childhood. But perhaps a bit closer to our present time, to our real world!

What then is the message in all this? Simply, that the joy and happiness that the seasons of Advent and Christmas promise us are not at all dependent on the external, outward circumstances that we find ourselves in, come December, year in, year out. We are joyful and happy because the cause of our joy is simply Jesus – our Immanuel, he who always comes to us. On the first Christmas, he came despite the chaos and the turmoil of that historical period. On the second coming, in the fullness of time, he comes again, not to destroy the world but in the words of Paul, so that all may be one. In both times, we are assured of the love and the presence of the Lord no matter the circumstances of our lives. That is ultimately the real cause of our deep joy this season of Advent.

The Society of Jesus in the Philippines invites every one to a forum on the Pope’s latest social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate or Charity in Truth. In this letter, the Pope, widely known for his scholarship and erudition, confronts the most pressing political and socio-economic issues of our times such as the roots of the global economic meltdown this year. He dishes out insights that are almost prophetic and which have been critically acclaimed the world over. And now, perhaps for the very first time on Philippine shores, a symposium would try to shed light on these profound insights of the Pope especially as these relate to Philippine society. The keynote speaker for this forum will be Fr. Jose C. Magadia, SJ, Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in the Philippines. Fr. Magadia, a political scientist by training, will provide an introduction and overview to Caritas in Veritate. Discussing Fr. Magadia’s talk will be a panel of experts representing important sectors of church and society. Dr. Cielito Habito, economics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University and former director general of the National Economic Development Authority, will analyze the economic implications of the encyclical. Mr. Guillermo Luz, executive vice president of the Ayala Foundation and former executive director of the Makati Business Club, will discuss its implications the business community. Ms. Ma. Antonia Loyzaga, executive director of the Manila Observatory, will analyze the Pope’s pronouncements regarding the environment. Finally, Bp. Luis Antonio Tagle, D.D. of the Diocese of Imus will reflect on the challenges presented by the encyclical for the Philippine church. The forum is free and open to the public. It will be held on 2 December 2009, Wednesday, 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Leong Hall, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Q.C.